This study aims to analyze research trends related to climate change in North Korea and abroad, as well as the state of international research cooperation, to derive implications for future joint responses to climate change between South and North Korea. Research papers published between 2010 and 2023 were collected using selected search terms, resulting in a total of 545 North Korean papers registered on the North Korean Science and Technology Network (NKTECH) and 118 international papers registered on SCOPUS and Web of Science. These papers were analyzed using word cloud and keyword network analyses to identify research patterns. The findings indicate that climate change research in North Korea has been consistently conducted during Kim Jong-un’s leadership, despite a slight decline in 2014, followed by a steady increase. International research also showed a marked increase starting from 2018, with a significant surge between 2021 and 2023, indicating that climate change research remained active despite the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korean research primarily focused on the keywords ‘forest’ and ‘flooding,’ with a strengthening link between ‘forest’ and ‘ecology’ since 2015, reflecting a heightened awareness of environmental protection. Key research topics included flood damage prevention, temperature and weather changes, and drought preparedness index calculation. In contrast, international research papers frequently mentioned ‘model,’ ‘system,’ and ‘forest,’ with active stu